Browsing by Subject "mental health"
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Item Acculturation and Its Effects on Help-Seeking Attitudes among Asian Indians(2012-02-14) Mohan, SaritaThere is a lack of research in the mental health field and on help-seeking regarding the Asian Indian population. Asian Indians are the third largest Asian subgroup in the United States; thus, it is important to understand their culture and lifestyle. Collectively, they are more likely to consult family and close friends rather than seek help from mental health professionals. Asian Indians may not choose to discuss these problems because they feel it is unnecessary, or it could bring shame to the family. The purpose of this study was to look at the effects of acculturation on the help-seeking attitudes of Asian Indian parents and caregivers when considering seeking help for their children. Inclusion criteria included parents and caregivers of children ages 7-17, who are 18 years of age or older, of Asian Indian ancestry, have resided in the U.S. for at least one year, and who have been the primary caregiver for at least 6 months. Measures used examined culture, acculturation, help-seeking attitudes, and some basic demographic information. The survey was available online as well as on paper to be returned to the researcher. A total of 89 participants, the majority of whom were mothers and well-educated, completed the survey. Participants were recruited at community events, at a temple in Houston, and through family members and friends by emailing the online link. Analyses of the data indicated that acculturation does not impact openness to seek mental health services, level of mental health stigma, and intentions to seek mental health services. It was also shown that openness and stigma do not mediate the relationship between acculturation and the intention to seek mental health services. Finally, the top sources of help indicated by the Asian Indians in this study are intimate partners, mental health professionals, and doctors or general practitioners. There were participants who had taken their children to see a professional before, but opinions varied regarding its helpfulness. It is hoped that this study will provide valuable information to inform mental health professionals about an understudied population and to continue to emphasize the importance of understanding diversity and what that means for school psychology and the mental health field.Item An Intersectional Approach to Assimilation and Mental Health among Mexican-origin Women in the United States(2014-12-09) Garcia, San Juanita E.Anti-immigrant sentiment against Mexicans in the United States has had a dramatic influence on the lives of the Mexican-origin population (or those presumed Mexican) and on how they perceive the host society. Until now, little research has addressed the extent to which this hostility has affected their mental health. Drawing on 90 face-to-face interviews with undocumented, documented, and U.S.-born Mexican American women from Houston, Texas, I adopt an intersectional approach to examine how a negative context of reception shapes their susceptibility to depressive symptoms. There are four major findings. First, undocumented Mexican immigrant women experience a deportation threat directly. They experience: constant fear of deportation; family fragmentation; and economic uncertainty, making them susceptible to depressive symptoms. Second, the consequences of undocumented status extend beyond the undocumented population to the Mexican-origin community (or those that appear to be Mexicans) through what I call undocumented vicariousness. Therefore, both documented Mexican immigrant and Mexican American women experience a deportation threat indirectly, also making them susceptible to depressive symptoms. Third, documented Mexican immigrant women experience undocumented vicariousness if they have: mixed-status families; and/or experiential knowledge having once been undocumented immigrants themselves. Mexican American women experience undocumented vicariousness if they have: mixed-status families; a romantic partner or husband that is undocumented; and/or identify with the immigrant plight. The major differences between how undocumented vicariousness plays out for these two groups relates to the: lack of dating/marriage partners that are undocumented for the documented Mexican immigrant women compared to the Mexican American women; and the experiential knowledge associated with Mexican Americans not living as undocumented immigrants themselves. Fourth, a racialization process exists where immigrants, regardless of legal status, nativity and ties with the undocumented community, are perceived and treated as undocumented immigrants. This contributes towards how Mexican-origin women negotiate and understand their intersectional identities, feelings of belonging, and exclusion, particularly in today?s deportation regime and anti-immigrant climate. These findings highlight the salience of undocumented status as another marker of inequality and stratification and add to the growing interest on ?illegality? and its impacts on mental health disparities by using an intersectionality approach.Item Challenging Depressive Ghosts in the Hegemonic Closet: An Autoethnography(2012-11-14) Humpal, David Lawrence 1960-The following autoethnographic study highlights the perceptions of a Southern, White male teacher, at times experiencing bouts of depression and anxiety, in the predominantly White rural high school community he both lives and works. The researcher- teacher utilizes critical reflection, self-imposed transportation theory, and arts-based research to unravel these perceptions and to enhance his autobiographical findings. The intent of this research was to uncover one predominantly White Southern High School community?s actions and thoughts through the eyes of someone not born and established in the community. Another intent was to give a White male further perspectives into his biography, his attitudes of racism, prejudice, and inequality, and further understanding into the underlying causes of depression that bound his experiences in one place. The findings exposed and confirmed hegemonic control of the predominantly White rural high school community and attitudes towards new residents without established ties to the community. It also revealed evidence of isolated acts of racism and inequities within the rural high school community. Furthermore, the study revealed that critical reflection and self-imposed transportation theory, while at times dangerous for the teacher-researcher experiencing depression or anxiety, none-the-less, is effective for unleashing possible ties that bind both depression and anxiety to original perceptions made within the community.Item Curanderismo and Mental Health: Mexican and Mexican-American Beliefs, Attitudes, and AcculturationRamirez, Kelsie Lozano; Curtis, Drew A; Contreras, Jose A; Lee, Jungeun; Self, Raelye TThis study explored the effects of generation on Mexican and Mexican-American beliefs about mental illness, their willingness to seek out psychological help, and their beliefs and attitudes about curanderismo, a Mexican folk-healing practice. This study utilized a convenience sample from four locations. Participants were split into two groups: Group 1 consisted of Mexicans or 1st and 2nd generation Mexican-Americans and Group 2 included participants who reported being 3rd, 4th, or 5th generation Mexican-Americans. The findings of the study indicated no significant differences between the two generation groups on beliefs and attitudes toward curanderismo, attitudes toward psychotherapy and psychotherapists, and attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help. There was a statistically significant difference in the scores between the two generation groups on beliefs toward mental illness. Implications of research and practice are discussed.Item Curanderismo and Mental Health: Mexican and Mexican-American Beliefs, Attitudes, and AcculturationRamirez, Kelsie Lozano; Curtis, Drew A; Contreras, Jose A; Lee, Jungeun; Self, Raelye TThis study explored the effects of generation on Mexican and Mexican-American beliefs about mental illness, their willingness to seek out psychological help, and their beliefs and attitudes about curanderismo, a Mexican folk-healing practice. This study utilized a convenience sample from four locations. Participants were split into two groups: Group 1 consisted of Mexicans or 1st and 2nd generation Mexican-Americans and Group 2 included participants who reported being 3rd, 4th, or 5th generation Mexican-Americans. The findings of the study indicated no significant differences between the two generation groups on beliefs and attitudes toward curanderismo, attitudes toward psychotherapy and psychotherapists, and attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help. There was a statistically significant difference in the scores between the two generation groups on beliefs toward mental illness. Implications of research and practice are discussed.Item Examining the Relationship Between Racial Identity Status and Race-Related Stress in African Americans(2012-02-14) Hurst, MorganRace-related stress has been found to impact the mental health of African Americans in literature. Three manuscripts were developed for this dissertation. The first is a critical literature review identifying the multiple pathways by which racism can affect mental health, and the current research addressing this problem is presented. Second, a quantitative study looking at what type of coping mechanisms African Americans use when dealing with race-related stress and how racial identity statuses impact these coping mechanisms?; The third manuscript addresses the research question, among the identified coping mechanisms, is there a relationship with psychological distress? The first manuscript is a critical literature review which discusses racism, race-related stress, and coping resources. The aim of the paper is to identify the multiple pathways by which racism can affect mental health and the current research addressing this problem. Initially, views of racism and race-related stress will be identified; theories for use of stress will be examined, and how racial identity status influences the perception of racism. In addition, individual strategies for coping with racism will be discussed, as well as major approaches to coping that have received sufficient research with regard to their effectiveness for mental and physical outcomes. The purpose of the first quantitative study was to examine the relationships among race-related stress, racial identity status, and coping resources in African Americans in a sample of 294 African American adults. Results indicated that avoidance coping and seeking social support predicted higher levels of race-related stress. Problem solving coping did not predict race-related stress. In addition, racial identity status (pre-encounter and immersion-emersion) predicted avoidance coping where racial identity status (internalization) predicted more problem solving coping behavior. The findings emphasize the need to recognize how racial identity status influence styles of coping in African Americans. Implications for mental health providers are discussed. The purpose of the second study was to examine the relationships between race-related stress, coping resources, and mental health in African Americans in a sample of 294 African American adults. Results indicated they were a predictor of psychological distress and well-being in African Americans. Specifically, the avoidance coping mechanism led to participants in the study experiencing more psychological distress when using this coping resource. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the results, which confirmed our hypothesis that mal-adaptive coping strategies predicted psychological distress. The findings emphasize the need to recognize how coping styles influence mental health in African Americans. Implications for mental health providers are discussed.Item Life events and their impact on the mental health of young black men: a qualitative and quantitative study(Texas A&M University, 2007-09-17) Watkins, Daphne CharleneAlthough it is presumed that men who acquire a college education will also achieve middle-class status, middle-class status does not provide Black men with the anticipated reductions for some health risks. Black men who attend predominately white institutions (PWIs) are reported to face many obstacles such as racism, isolation, alienation, and lack of support compared to Black men who attend historically Black colleges/universities (HBCUs). Formative research methods were used to obtain information about stressors of Black college men and how these stressors influence their mental health and health behaviors. Focus groups captured men's understanding of mental health and their stressful life events while a questionnaire was used to obtain general health information, including depressive symptoms (i.e. feeling sad, nervous, hopeless, and worthless). Results suggest that there are no major differences between the health of Black college men at a PWI and a HBCU; however, men at each institution experience different levels of psychosocial stress as a function of their academic settings. Future research should explore the mental health of Black college men more thoroughly and include an in-depth exploration of their health practices.Item Malady of the "model minority": White racism's assault on the Asian American psyche(2009-05-15) Chou, Rosalind SueMy research is a qualitative study about the Asian American experience. Studies have shown that Asian Americans obtain high levels of educational attainment and household income, but these figures are misleading. Asian Americans are getting a lower financial return on their education compared to their white counterparts. They suffer higher rates of suicide and depression than all other racial groups. Little quantitative and no qualitative research exists addressing these issues. My research explores Asian American life experiences with a focus on what role systemic racism plays in their lives and how this connects to the health disparities. This analysis utilizes thirty-six in-depth interviews to discuss the types and frequency of racist events. Respondents revealed a plethora of discriminatory incidents and shared various coping strategies that they use to deal with the stress of discrimination and to combat future racism. The analysis concludes that the great efforts that Asian Americans go to in order to protect themselves from white racism are costly. Respondents have to combat feelings of isolation, inadequacy, and inferiority. The analysis also utilizes interview data to discuss the ways in which respondents attempt to conform to the white racial frame in hopes to find relief from discrimination. By conforming, some adopt negative racial stereotypes about themselves and other people of color. Even after going to great lengths to conform, interviewees still struggled with feeling excluded by whites. Eventually, some respondents became hopeless that they would ever be accepted. This work also explores alternative methods some Asian Americans are using to combat systemic racism. Some respondents revealed an alternate mindset to those who have chosen to conform to the white racial frame. This group of respondents challenged white racist ideologies, and some even discussed methods in which they actively resist in hopes to improve the racial situation for all Asian Americans. This work is an attempt to fill the large gaps in research about the unique Asian American experience. There has been no other similar analysis in the past. My data reveal the complexities of the Asian American experience and the need for further research.Item Perceptions of aggression in mental health clients(2008-06-23) Cathy Leigh Hueske; Dr. Kathleen Lucke; Dr. Ruth Levine; Dr. Peggy Landrum; Dr. Elnora Mendias; Dr. Carolyn PhillipsIn mental healthcare identifying factors including those that exist within the client-caregiver alliance is important so that aggression can be eliminated or minimized. The naturalistic inquiry method answered the following research questions: 1) What factors do licensed and unlicensed mental health workers perceive as triggers of aggressive behavior responses in hospitalized mental health clients? and 2) How do licensed and unlicensed mental health workers perceive their actions and behaviors influence the precipitation of aggressive behaviors among hospitalized mental health clients? A purposive sample of 15 mental healthcare workers was necessary to obtain saturation and redundancy. Demographic data were collected from caregivers with an average of 15 years of mental health experience working in nursing and social service departments. The purposes of this study were to: 1) describe the perceptions mental health workers have of the causes of aggressive responses in hospitalized mental health clients, and 2) explore mental health workers perceptions of how their actions and behaviors influence the precipitation of aggressive behaviors among hospitalized mental health clients. Participants interviewed were audiotaped to gather rich thick descriptions of the phenomena understudy. Audiotapes of the interview were transcribed for data analysis. Guided by the theoretical framework of Symbolic Interactionism, the overarching concept of aggression as an interactive process emerged from the participants’ descriptions. The supporting constructs were building, exploding and recovering from aggression. The categories for the constructs were knowing, managing, resulting outcomes and procession aggression emerged from several subcategories and themes. The findings of this study provide direction for further research involving triggers of aggression in the mentally ill and the influence of caregivers’ actions and behaviors on the hospitalized mentally ill.Item Somatic Complaints and Chinese-American Adolescents: Examining the Role of Parent-child Relationships(2013-06-05) Kao, Grace Sung-TzuMental health needs of Asian-American youth have been documented as substantial and increasing, but limited research has identified explanatory mechanisms or possible targets of intervention for reducing mental health symptoms. The present study contributed to the limited existing research on self-regulatory abilities as mechanisms that may explain the linkage between Chinese-American parenting styles and adolescent somatization. A community sample of Chinese-American parent-adolescent dyads (N= 104) residing in the greater Houston, TX area were recruited to complete a battery of questionnaires containing measures of adolescent somatization, self-regulatory abilities, and parental psychological control. Correlational and regression analyses were conducted to test hypothesized relationships and models. Parent-reported emotional and cognitive self-regulatory control variables were found to mediate the relationship between utilization of aspects of both parent and adolescent-reported parental psychological control and parent-reported adolescent somatization. Additionally, lower parent-adolescent Asian values agreement level was found to predict higher parent-reported somatic complaint occurrence. Results suggest that multiple aspects of self-regulation serve as mediating mechanisms by which parenting styles may influence adolescent somatic complaint occurrence. Findings have implications for understanding of pathways to somatization (and mental health outcomes overall) in the Asian-American youth population.